Letter to the Editor: Give Riverside kids a chance

November is almost here, and the Riverside Local School District has a levy on the ballot. Three times before the district has asked for money to save them from large cuts, and three times the residents of our district have said no. The children in this district have lost a lot: $7 million in cuts have meant 78 less staff members, state minimum busing, full pay-to-participate fees, less class offerings and a smaller number of janitors just to name a few. But the voters can change that this time! With the passage of this 3.9-mill levy, homeowners can change the lives and the educational experience for our children. For only $10 per month per $100,000 in property valuation, they can bring back all busing for grades kindergarten through eight, intervention specialists in the elementary buildings and academic coaches in the district, a whole team of teachers in the middle school, more class offerings in the high school, $200,000 to lower the pay-to-participate fees by over a third and janitorial and maintenance services. Aren't the children in this district worth it? This is a well-run district doing more with less and we still are excellent! I am proud to have my children go to Riverside Schools because I know they are being educated by wonderful teachers and administrators. But without the support of our residents, this is all in jeopardy. We cannot continue to be excellent if our community does not say yes and support our children. We all had the benefit of multiple class offerings, sports at little or no cost, busing and clean schools, and the children of this district deserve the same. I urge you to please vote yes on Issue 4 and say "I Support Riverside Schools!"